Graduation Is Postponed Over Explosive

Gasoline Bomb Found At Rich Central

Threat Made At South Campus

May 25, 2000|By Karen Craven. Special to the Tribune. Tribune staff writer Marla Donato also contributed to this report.

Graduation ceremonies for nearly 500 Richton Township District 227 seniors were canceled Wednesday after a gasoline bomb was found at one high school and a bomb threat was made at its south suburban sister school.

Olympia Fields Police Sgt. Randy Kickert said an unlit Molotov cocktail was found in a Rich Central High School washroom near the school cafeteria where commencement was to be held later Wednesday evening, at 3600 W. 203rd St. in Olympia Fields. School officials immediately notified police, Kickert said.

Members of the Cook County Sheriff's Police Bomb Squad were called to search the building with bomb-snifffing dogs, but found no other incendiary devices after 3 1/2 hours, he said.

At Rich South High School in Richton Park commencement was postponed Wednesday after a bomb threat was called in to Matteson police about 5 p.m. The Bomb Squad searched the school but did not find any devices Wednesday night, officials said.

Rich South Principal Tom Donausky said, "This afternoon a threat was phoned in to the Matteson Police Department warning us that something may occur at Rich South High School, and in light of what was found at Rich Central earlier this afternoon, that raised our level of concern drastically."

He added that whoever is responsible will be prosecuted.

Commencement had been scheduled for 6:45 p.m. at Rich Central and at 7 p.m. at Rich South, 5000 Sauk Trail in Richton Park. Both ceremonies have been rescheduled for Thursday, officials said.

Classes at both schools were canceled until Friday, District 227 officials said Wednesday.

At both schools between 1,500 and 2,000 were expected at each ceremony, officials said. There are 250 seniors at Rich South and 235 at Rich Central, officials saidKickert said that because word of the postponement of the graduations did not reach many who planned to attend the events, several had showed up at the school Wednesday evening only to learn that the ceremonies would not be held until Thursday.

"There were about 800 to 1,000 people who had been invited to attend, and a lot of them were showing up Wednesday night," Kickert said

At Rich Central, Principal Von Mansfield said that shortly after the school day, a small flammable device with about 8 ounces of gasoline was discovered in a stall in a boys washroom. After a search, the bomb squad gave the school a clean bill of health about 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, but they said the squad planned to secure the building overnight and Thursday, officials said.

Mansfield added, "We believe it was a prank, but given today's circumstances we thought it was prudent to err on the side of caution."

At Rich South on Wednesday evening, parents snapped pictures and videotaped their graduates in royal blue caps and gowns in the school's parking lot after several hundred people were turned away. Instead of receiving diplomas, seniors were being interviewed by the media.

Lynn Beardon of Matteson and her husband, Tyrone, were walking out the door just before 7 p.m. to see her 17-year-old son, Giani, graduate when they got the cancellation call. Although she was disappointed, she said, "With everything that's going on these days, I don't know what would provoke someone to do something like this. But I wouldn't want to take a chance."

Giani, who plans to attend Parkland Junior College in Champaign, said, "I'm counting my blessings, because we could have been in there and something bad really could have happened."